Razor stropping device



July 28, 1936. Q J, A E E 2,048,798

RAZOR STROPPING DEVICE Filed March 26, 1954 INVENTOR i ATTORNEY Patented July 28, 1936 RAZOR STROPPING DEVICE Charles J. Lawrence, Palmyra, N. Y.

Application March 26, 1934, Serial No. 717,440

10 Claims. (01. 51-63) V The object of this invention is to provide a device that can be used to strop or sharpen the so-called Gillette razor blade, or any blade that is the equivalent thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device that will strop or sharpen'each side of the cutting edge alternately.

Another object of the invention is to secure this result by the movement of the strap back and forth.

These and other objects of the invention will be illustrated in the drawing, described in the specification, and pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In the drawing:

v Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved stropping device.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 250-21: of Figure'l.

Figure 3 is a section on the line Sac-3a: of Figure 1, with the strop in position to sharpen the 1 cutting edge. 7 1f Figure 4 is a perspective view of the bridge that supports the blade that is being sharpened.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the plate that w is used to hold the blade on the bridge.

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the device viewed from the left of Figure 1.

Figure '7 shows a modified form of the stropping device adapted to be used in sharpening the blades that have only one cutting edge and are thick on the other edge, such as the so-called Gem blade. V Figure 8 is a perspective view of the bridge that is adapted to be used with the modification shown in Figure 7.

' Figure 9 is a perspective view of the plate that is adapted to be used to hold the blade on the bridge shown in Figure 8. g .40 In the drawing like reference numerals indicate like parts. 7 In the drawing reference numeral indicates the frame of the device, which frame is made of a single piece of sheet metal bent to a U-shape. The sides 2 and 3 form brackets that are adapted to support the remaining parts of the device. The base 4 is adapted to rest against the side wall on which it is fastened or held. This base is perforated with two openings 5 and 6, shown in Figure 6, each of which openings is round at the bottom and has a short slot extending up therefrom. These openings are adapted to engage over the round heads I and 8 of screws, and the device is then moved down to engage the narrow gs slots under the heads of the screws, after which the screws can be tightened to securely hold the device in place on the side wall.

metal that is struck up and at the ends left inte- 10.

gral with the sides 2 and 3. These blisters are formed to leave an opening l3 and M between the blister and the sides 2, and 3. A bridge 15 is formed havingthe flanges i6 and H on each end thereof that are adapted to engage in the open- 15;;

ings formed by the blister, by, which thebridge is held'in place. This bridge has a rib l8 thereon that is adapted to engage in the slot that is pro? vided in the Gillette razor blade I9. 7 i

A plate 28 is provided having an upturned end 20 2!. This plate has a slot '22 cut therein that is adapted to engage on the rib 88, so that between the plate 29 and the bridge E5 the blade thatis to be sharpened is securely held in place. The up; turned end 2| has a lug 23 struck up therefrom 25 that is adapted to engage in an opening24 in the side 2 of the frame. I

The right hand end of the plate 20 has atongue v 25 formed thereon that engages in the slot in the side I of the frame. This tongue is first en- 30 gaged in the slot in the side I and then the upturned end 2! is pushed down until the lug 23 slides to position opposite the opening 24, in which it engages with a snap. This lug holds the left hand end of the plate 20 in place as shown in 35 Figure 2, and when it is desired to remove the blade, this lug is disengaged from the slot by springing the upturned end 2! to the right in Figure 2 and then raising it.

In operation, the blade is placed on the bridge 40 IS, the plate 20 is' then placed thereon in the manner above described, first with the tongue 25' engaging the slot in the side 6, after which the other end of the plate is pushed down until the lug 23 engages in the slot 26 in the side 2. i 5

In the forward end of the device a pin or a roller 26 is provided which engages inthe curved slots 21 formed in the sides2 and 3, in which slots the roller is free to move from one side to the other. This roller is provided with enlarged 50 ends 28 and 29, by which the roller is held. in place. c

' A strop 30 is provided which passes over the roller 9 and bears against'the roller 26. This strop swings first against one side of the forward edge of the blade and then against the other side of the blade, each end of the strop swinging first toward and beyond the plane of the blade and the plane connecting the rollers 9 and 26. This strop will push the roller 26 to the one side or the other of the frame, as it is pulled, and in so doing the portion of the strop that is between the rollers 9 and 26 will be drawn forward over the edge of the blade, the strop being first held in the position shown in Figure 3 and moving in the direction shown by the arrows, both ends of the strop being held down as shown in Figure 3, or. being held to the left as shown in Figure 1. Both ends of the strop are then swung up from the position. shown in Figure 3, causing the lower end of the strop to bear against the roller 26 and move it to; the other limit of its movement,,in which position. the strop will bear against the'other side of the cutting edge of the blade. 3| is then drawn out, bearing against the one side of the cutting edge as it moves. Then the ends of the strop are swung in the other direction, and are moved in the reverse direction alternately applying the strop first to one side of the cutting edge and then to the other side, the active portion of the strop always bearing against the cutting edge as the strop is drawn out. The portion of the strop that is drawn back passes clear of the cutting edge. By this alternate movement of the strop, the blade is quickly and accurately sharpened. 1

In practice it has been found that a strop that is nine inches in length and is a little wider than the blade issufiicient forthe. purpose. t

In Figure '7 I have shown a modified'form of this device that. is used for stropping a. so-called Gem razor blade. In this figure the sides 2 and 3, the base 4, the blisters H." and L2, and the rollers 9. and 2B, and slots 21 are all the same as those shown in Figures 1 and 3. Instead of the bridge I5 I use the bridge 40.. The flanges 41 and 42 thereof engage inthe openings 13 and I4 formed by the-blisters. This bridge has a slot or opening. 43 therein that is adapted to receive one side ofthe channel. 44 onwhichthe. blade 45 is mounted. A plate 46 is provided having; atongue 41 on one. end; that is adapted to engage a slot in the side 3, just as the. tongue 25. engages inthe slot in the side 3'. This plate has the upturned end 48 which has a lug" thereon similar to the lug 23 that engages with the slot similar to the slot 24 shown in Figure 2. This. plate engages the upper-side of the blade and holds it in place on the bridge, and. the strop is applied thereto in the same way as, has been described above in connection with Figure 3-. a

It. will be seen that the two ends of the strop are not enclosed in any way, but can be swung out sideways on the roller 9 and away from the blade, thus permitting the ready removal or change-of the blade. The strop is wholly guided in its movement forward and back by the rollers 9 and'26 and by the hands of the operator.

I claim:

1-. A frame for a device for'stropping razors, said frame having two parallel sides, each of. said sides having an integral strap sheared therefrom and struck up inwardly to form a shoulder, and a pair of slits, a bridge having a downturned flange on each end thereof adapted toengage in said pairs of slits formed. by saidstraps, and be supported by said" straps in one fixed position, by said shoulders V I t 2'. In a device" for stropping razor blades, the

The end of. the strop combination of a frame having two parallel sides, each of said sides having an integral strap sheared therefrom and struck up inwardly to form a shoulder and a pair of slits, a bridge having a downturned flange on each end thereof adapted to engage in said pairs of slits formed by said straps and be supported by said straps in one fixed positionby said shoulder, said bridge being adapted to support a razor blade thereon, and a plate adapted to engage with the sides and clamp the razor blade on said bridge in one fixed position.

3. In a device for stropping razor blades, the combination of a frame having two parallel sides, a bridge extending along the sides from one side ,to the other and held in one position thereon,

a moving axis mounted in said sides in front of 20 roller mounted between the sides and back of said 301 bridge, the axis of said roller being fixed relative to said bridge, a roller having a movingaxis mounted between said sides in front "of said bridge, a strap passing over therollerfwithia fixed axis, and being adapted to be moved back and forth and to pass alternately over one side of the. razor blade making contact, with the edge as it moves forward, the position of the strap with reference to the edge of the razor blade 'being' fixed by the roller having the moving axis.

5. In a device for stropping razor blades, the combination of a frame adapted. to be fastenedto a support and extend outwardly therefrom, a bridge extending along the sides of said frame and fastened rigidly thereon, a. roller mounted in said frame back. of said bridge, the axis of said roller being fixed relative to said bridge, and a roller having a. moving axis mounted in front of said bridge, said bridge being adapted. to hold a razor blade clamped thereon. with the edge projecting. forwardly therefrom in one. position, the roller mounted in the sides of the framein front of said. bridge being. adapted to move from said. frame in front of sai'd bridge said" roller being. adapted to move back and forthfrom one side of the bridge to the other side. a

'7 A device for stropping razor blades,.having a frame, a supporting-plate fixed in oneposition thereon, said. plate having front. and back edges thereon, a. roller mounted. in said frame with its 70 axisfixed relative to said plate, a roller havinga swinging axis placed. forwardv of the front edge of. said plate, said platebeing. adapted to hold=a razor blade thereon. on saidv plate with. an edge for sharpening exposed toward the roller with the 75 swinging axis, said roller being adapted to swing from one side of the exposed edge of the blade to the other side, means for limiting the swing of said roller in each direction, a strop adapted to move over the exposed edge of said blade and over said roller, said roller being adapted to position the strop correctly with reference to either or both sides of the edge being sharpened.

8. A device for stropping razor blades, having a frame, a supporting plate fixed in one position thereon, said plate having front and back edges thereon, curved slots in said frame forward of the front edge of said plate, a roller mounted in said slots and adapted to be moved from one side of said plate to the other side, said plate being adapted to hold a razor blade thereon with an edge for sharpening exposed toward said roller, said slots limiting the swing of said roller in each direction, a strop adapted to move over the exposed edge of said blade and over said roller, said roller at each end of its movement being adapted to position the strop with reference to the side of the edge being sharpened.

9. A device for stropping razor blades, having a frame, a supporting plate fixed in one position therein, said plate having front and back edges thereon, a roller placed back of one edge of the supporting plate the axis of said roller being fixed relative to said plate, a roller with an axis swinging sideways between fixed limits placed in front of the other edge of the supporting plate, said plate being adapted to support a razor blade thereon with an edge exposed for sharpening away from the roller with the fixed axis and toward the roller with the moving axis.

10. A device for stropping razor blades, having a frame, a supporting plate fixed in one position thereon, said plate having front and back edges thereon, a roller placed back of one edge of the supporting plate the axis of said roller being fixed relative to said plate, a roller with an axis swinging sideways between fixed limits placed in front of the other edge of the supporting plate, said plate being adapted to support a razor blade thereon with an edge exposed for sharpening away from the roller with the fixed axis and toward the roller with the moving axis, a strop adapted to pass over the roller with the fixed axis and make contact with the exposed edge of the blade and with the roller with the moving axis, first with one end of the strop and then with the other end of the strop.

CHARLES J. LAWRENCE. 

